Broken
by chiisaimiko
Summary: [AU] Promises were made when they were children, and he was certain that she would forget about it. But 10 years later, when she comes back to fulfill her part of the promises, he never thought that he would actually be the one to break them. [VH]
1. Promises Made

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Broken

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Chapter One: Promises Made

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Summary: As children, Van and Hitomi had both made promises to be together when they were old enough to return and see each other once more. Van was certain that Hitomi would forget, but he was determined that despite that, he would keep his promises. Ten years later, Van is living the popular life in high school with a girlfriend, free of all guilt until a certain girl returns... who's to blame now?

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Author's Notes: This is an **AU** (**a**lternate **u**niverse for those who are wondering, which means that it is set in a different universe, hence _alternate_ _universe_), so it will not follow the anime story line.

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Disclaimer: Sadly, no, I don't own Escaflowne... let's all shed a tear.

-

As he looked down upon her sleeping form, a frustrated sigh escaped his lips. Quietly, he climbed onto her bed, sitting down next to her. A heavenly smile was locked tight on her lips, and he knew instantly that she was dreaming. He did not want to wake her, but what he wanted to ask her could not wait.

"Hitomi," he whispered as he leaned down towards her ear. "Wake up. I really need to talk to you." He waited in that position for a while—just hovering next to her with his mouth near her ear—his eyes locked onto her peaceful face. When she did not wake, he gently nudged her with his head. "Hitomi, wake up!"

A pair of tired emerald eyes slowly fluttered open, blinking a few times to adjust to the light. Wearily, when her vision focused onto a boyish face, she smiled up at him, her arms reaching out to wrap around his neck.

"Finally," he muttered. "I really need to talk to you." With a sigh, he pulled away from her, breaking the link she had around his neck. With a dark stare, he sat back and fixed his eyes on her.

Hitomi, slightly confused at his mysterious behavior, sat up in her bed and nodded slowly, eager to find out what was bothering her best friend so much. "Okay. What is it?"

"You..." he started, his face hard and serious. "Why... why didn't you tell me that you were going to move?" he asked rudely, almost as if he wanted to hurt her. "You only have a week left here. Why didn't you tell me? When did you plan on telling me? Did you even _plan_ on telling me?"

Awkward silence filled the air within the next few minutes. At fault, Hitomi knew she had a lot of explaining to do—she just didn't know where to start. But she knew that she would have to say something soon. Van was growing impatient, and she didn't like the sight of a very pissed off Van.

"Van," she said, trying to explain herself, her voice cracking. "I was going to tell you, I swear. Of course I was going to tell you! I... I just didn't want our last days together to be sad..."

The reasoning did make sense, but Van did not want to accept it. "So when exactly did you plan on telling me then?"

Hitomi's head dropped at the question, and answered honestly, "The day before I leave." She sighed, knowing that she should've told him when she first found out last week. She wanted to tell him, she really did. The problem was, she just didn't know how to approach him with the news. She didn't want to hurt him, and she didn't want the last few days with him to be depressing. "Wait," she said, suddenly looking up at him. "How did you find out?"

"It doesn't matter," he said apathetically. "I would've found out either way. I just hate finding it out this way. Not hearing it from you."

"Van, I'm sorry. It's just... it's really hard. I didn't know how to tell you." It was the honest truth. And if the saying _'The truth will set you free'_ was true, it would work right now.

Van looked away from her, suddenly feeling bad for approaching her so obscurely. He couldn't help it though. Hitomi had been with him for as long as he could remember back. They had been together since they were in diapers. Eight years it was that he had spent with her. It couldn't end now. It just couldn't.

She knew exactly how he felt, for she felt it too. With a sad look upon her face, she reached out to him once again, hugging him tightly and he fell down softly on his back, allowing her to lay on him. He looked down at her, seeing himself reflect in her eyes.

"You'll always be my best friend, Van," Hitomi assured. "Always and forever."

Though it was quite touching, Van knew that deep down no true promises could be made. He knew that promises were only made to be broken. For as long as he lived, he never once made any promises, despite Hitomi's pleads and cries. She, on the other hand, believed with all her heart in promises. She believed that if both parties truly meant it, everything would eventually work out in the end. Van always thought of her as foolish in that perspective.

"I'll never forget you either," she continued as she settled her head between the curve of his neck and shoulders. "Never. _Ever._ I promise."

"Hitomi," he growled. "I told you. You know how I feel about that. Don't."

She didn't say anything for a while, but reluctantly, she nodded her head slowly, her cheek brushing against his green shirt. "I know, Van, but this is my promise to you. You don't have to promise anything back." Though deep down, she wanted so badly for him to promise her the same thing.

It was surprising to most to find out that they were only eight years old. Well, to be exact, it was surprising that Van was. Hitomi acted her age nearly all the time, always asking pointless questions and bouncing off the walls. Van, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Apathetic, cool, calm, collected. Being clever and cunning didn't seem to hurt either.

"And I won't," he said coldly, causing Hitomi to move her head to look at him, hurt. "Promises are nothing, Hitomi. I told you. I don't believe in promises."

"But Van, this isn't—"

"No."

Annoyed that he would not listen to her, Hitomi sat up, glaring at him. "Van! That's not fair! Please... Van, this would mean everything to me. My world may depend on it. Promise me that you'll never forget me either. Just this once... please..." Her eyes began to water. She was utterly heartbroken. These were going to be her last days with him, and he couldn't even make one simple promise to her. One simple promise that may be her only hope of returning one day back to him.

Sadly, Van stood his ground and shook his head. "No, Hitomi."

His words came out harsh and final, and the poor little girl couldn't help but let her feelings come out; she cried. And when she stammered, asking him brokenly to leave, he obeyed without protest and left her alone in her room to grieve.

-

"What's wrong, Hitomi?"

Her sobs decreased at the soft tone of her mother's caring voice. Sniffling, she looked up, though she was still blinded by her tears. When her mother took a seat next to her, Hitomi settled in close as she could to her, and then resumed back to her weeping.

"Don't cry, honey," the elder woman whispered as she stroked her daughter's hair. "Shh... it's okay. Quiet down, Hitomi, and tell me why you're crying."

"It's Van," she sobbed into her mother's shirt. "He's going to forget all about me when I leave!"

Appalled, Mrs. Kanzaki looked down at her daughter as if she had just cussed at her. "What in the world are you talking about, Hitomi? Van could never forget about you, even if he tried."

"Then why won't he promise me that?"

With a heavy sigh, Mrs. Kanzaki shook her head, trying to figure out how she was going to explain as to why Van was the way he was with promises. Hitomi looked up with curious eyes, as if she knew her mother was going to say something. Patiently, she waited, her sobs soon replaced with occasional sniffles.

"Hitomi," her mother started. "You have to understand... the reason why Van doesn't make promises is because he took a promise his dad once made to him to heart. His dad made a promise to him that he'd come to his sixth birthday party, and when that didn't happen, he promised Christmas. Well, Christmas came along... and his dad was nowhere to be seen. The poor boy hasn't heard from his dad since. It was only two promises his father made and he broke them. He ruined it for the rest of us, didn't he? But he especially ruined it for Van."

In a rush of anger, Hitomi squinted her eyes, and she let out a scream. "That's not fair! Just because his daddy broke his promises, it doesn't mean I will! That's not fair!"

Mrs. Kanzaki nodded, patting her daughter's back softly to ease her. "Calm down, Hitomi, I understand. But you see, Van's father promises made Van repel... er, hate against it. His promises, what was meant for good, turned out bad, honey. It hurt Van in the end, after all his high hopes. That is why he hates promises. He's scared. He's scared that if he accepts or make a promise, and if it is broken, it hurts."

"I know..." Hitomi said softly, calming down as she bowed down her head. "I know that... but I'd never hurt Van, Mommy. I would never do that! He's my friend. My _bestest_ friend!"

A soft smile graced the elder woman's features. "I know, honey, I know. You would never hurt Van, and you know what? He would never want to hurt you. Maybe you should go tell him that you care... and tell him, _tell_ him, Hitomi, do not promise him, and do not make him promise you back, that you will always remember him and miss him. Maybe then he'll understand, and maybe, just maybe he'll even truly believe you."

"No..." Hitomi shook her head, and with a sad frown, she closed her eyes, trying to suppress the new set of tears that threatened to spill. "Van doesn't want to see me..."

"You don't know that. I bet you he does."

Hitomi shook her head once again. "No, he doesn't..."

-

A week had past by quickly, and on that morning, the morning that she was leaving, Hitomi sat on her front porch, praying for Van to come over. She waited for him to come over to say their final goodbyes, and if he allowed it, perhaps even promises. Eagerly, she fixed her eyes on the neighboring door to the right, awaiting for a dark-haired boy to burst out.

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Come on, Van, she thought desperately. _Will you not miss me? Do you hate me now? Please, Van... come out..._

Time was running short. It would only be a few more minutes before she would have to leave and never to return again. Tears blurred her eyes, and shakily, she stood up, brushing herself off as she shut her eyes tight. After a few minutes of suppressing herself, Hitomi broke, bringing her hands up to her eyes, wiping the tears away angrily as she sunk into despair.

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I'm sorry, Van... I'm sorry! I'm so sorry...

Suddenly, she felt a pair of warm arms wrap around her waist. Hesitantly, she looked up. A pair of tired, distraught eyes bore down at her, and Hitomi found her heart skipping a beat as her throat tightened. She couldn't believe it.

"Van!" she sobbed happily as she quickly wrapped her arms around him, afraid that he would suddenly run away from her. "Van! You're here! I'm so sorry, Van! I really am! So sorry!"

"Shh," he soothed, patting her back softly. "It's okay, Hitomi. I'm sorry too." After a few seconds, Van slowly pulled her away from him, making her face him. He truly felt awful for making her cry like that.

"Van, I... I'm going to miss you a lot. And you're always going to be my best friend, no matter what. I'll come back to visit you, I prom—I mean... I will. I will definitely come back to visit you."

Van gave her a small smile as he looked down at her. "That's nice to know. I can't wait. When you come back, we can do anything you want."

Hitomi nodded. "Yeah, when I grow up... I'll come back, and then we can be together again. Together forever."

"Promise?"

Startled, Hitomi looked at him with wide-eyes, wondering to herself if her ears were deceiving her. Had Van just suggest in making a promise? "W... what?"

"You heard me," he stated solidly. "Do you promise?"

Delighted, Hitomi smiled the brightest smile she was able to muster. "Of course! Of course I promise!" She quickly extended her pinky out to him. "Promise me. I promise you."

Van linked his pinky to hers and returned her smile just as brightly. "I promise."

The sudden joyful moment didn't last long, however. Hitomi had abruptly stepped away, her smile fading away and in place of it was a deep frown.

"Don't break your promise, Van," she said seriously. "Because I mean it... when I come back, I really do want to be with you again."

Van almost wanted to let out a cynical laugh. Who was she to accuse him of breaking the pact? "I won't break it, Hitomi, I promise."

"Okay," she reassured. "You promised."

He nodded. "And so did you."

"Yeah," Hitomi said as she nodded too. "Yeah... I promise."

But deep down within himself, Van couldn't push away the feeling that kept nagging at him.

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Hitomi, you promised, he thought solemnly. _You better keep them... so don't forget. I know I won't... because I promised you. I'll wait for you to come back... please don't forget._

-

Well, this chapter has been revised. Next chapter should be out shortly. Thanks to ALL who reviewed before! ^_^


	2. Her Return

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Broken

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Chapter Two: Her Return

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Author's Notes: Finally, here's chapter two. xD Sorry for the horribly long wait!

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She stood there as the wind blew around her, watching as the leaves changed and shed from their trees. The cool, crisp autumn air refreshed her mind, and with a smile, she closed her eyes, allowing the slightly cold breeze to wrap around her. When she opened up her eyes, she found herself staring at the same house she had lived in ten years ago. The only thing different was that it was no longer hers, but instead, her aunt's.

Her vibrant green eyes sparkled with joy. "I'm finally back, Van," she whispered into the lost wind.

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"Mr. Fanel, please, settle down!" the teacher scolded as Van threw a crumpled up ball of a piece of paper across the room. It hit a boy with long, blond hair on the head, and his eyes immediately drew up, glaring at the dark-haired boy.

Van only let out a quick, impolite laugh before sliding off his desk and taking his seat. With a charming smile, he apologized to Mrs. Youko for being such a bother. "Sorry."

Mrs. Youko nodded, but knew full well that he didn't mean it. The boy had always been like that, like the typical popular basketball player. Charming, sarcastic, and rude—so unlike him when he was young. Ah, if she only knew him ten years ago, she would die of shock.

"Anyway, class, today, we're going to—" The phone rang, interrupting her in the middle of her sentence. The ringing continued to echo throughout the classroom until she picked it up. "Hello?" she said, and continued about her business for the next few minutes from there on the dial.

"Hey, Van," Kyoko, the girl who sat next to him whispered, trying to grab his attention from his other buddies. When she got it, she smiled at him sweetly. "Are you busy after school?"

"Yeah, of course. Did you forget? I have basketball practice."

Her face dropped. "Oh, yeah... I forgot. Hm... oh, did you hear? We're gonna have a new student next week."

"Really? Boy or girl?"

"I'm not sure."

With a careless shrug, Van stopped his questioning and turned away, but Kyoko grabbed his arm, pulling him back. "Van," she whined, leaning in closer to him. "Kiss me."

And he did just that.

-

"So I forgot, how long do you plan on staying again?" her Aunt Yukiko asked again as she helped her niece unpack. "For about nine months, right? Until summer?"

Hitomi smiled, and nodded politely. "Yeah, but that's only if I want to go back. If I decide to stay, then I'd just move out of here and get my own apartment or something. But thanks, Aunt Yukiko, for letting me stay here with you."

Yukiko looked over at her, fascinated by how much her cute, little niece had changed. No longer was she that little girl now; time had graced her with wisdom and elegance. Her act had been cleared up very nicely with no more screaming and whining, however, there was still a sense of youth and adorableness about her.

"Aunt Yukiko, are you alright? Or are you just spacing out?"

Caught in her thoughts, Yukiko shook her head and smiled. "I'm fine, Hitomi. You just overwhelmed me, that is all. Wow... ten years has done a lot to you."

Hitomi smiled sheepishly and thanked her aunt for the compliment. "Thanks, I think. Ten years is a very long time."

Yukiko agreed by nodding. "So did you come back for Van?" she asked even though she already knew the answer. She just found it so sweet and romantic.

"Yeah," Hitomi answered happily. "I promised him a long time ago that I would come back for him. So here I am... I missed him so much over the years. Does he still live next door?" she asked hopefully.

Sadly, Yukiko shook her head. "No, he moved into another house a while back. When Folken moved out, they decided that they had no use for a big house. Van will be moving out soon also. After all, he's already a Senior. His mother figured a small house would be nice afterwards."

"Oh, I see," Hitomi said. "That makes sense. I think that's kind of nice. It's logical. I mean, who would want to live in a big house by themselves? It'd be kinda lonely, wouldn't it? With so much space... but with a small house, it's much better."

"Yeah..." Slowly, the older woman strolled towards the door. "Come on, Hitomi. Let's go downstairs and make some lunch. I bought a lot of things, so we can pig out. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Hitomi laughed and shook her head at her aunt's silliness. "Definitely."

-

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"I promise, son."

"REALLY, DAD!?"

"Yes, son, I'll be there on your sixth birthday, and I'll bring you the greatest present ever. I promise."

"Okay! I can't wait. Bye, Dad! I'll see you later!"

"So long, Van."

-

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"Mom... why hasn't Dad come? He said he would... will he be late?"

"I don't know, Van... I don't think he's going to come."

"No, he will... because he promised me, and promises can never be broken, can they?"

"They shouldn't be broken, but they are forgotten sometimes, honey. I... I think your father has forgotten. Maybe we should start the party without him. You've been waiting for three hours already, sweetheart. I don't think he'll come."

"NO! Dad said he'd come! And he will! He promised! He PROMISED me, Mommy! He will!"

-

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"Dad, why didn't you come to my birthday?"

"I'm sorry, I forgot. How about Christmas, eh? Yes, definitely Christmas, and this time, I'll bring you two big presents. I promise."

"Do you really, really, really, really, really, REALLY promise this time, Dad?"

"Yes... I promise."

"I missed you, Dad... I really wanted you to be there."

"I know, and I'm sorry. But I will be with you and your brother during Christmas. There's no one else I'd rather want to be with."

"Okay... then I'll see you then, right, Dad?"

"Of course."

"Okay. I love you, Dad! Bye!"

"Bye, Van."

-

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"Dad's not going to come, is he, Mommy?"

"I don't think so, Van. Come here, baby... it's okay..."

"He promised me, Mommy... he said that there was no one else who'd he rather be with on Christmas! So why isn't he here? He said he would!"

"Let it go, Van, let it go... your father's promises are empty and worthless."

"But..."

"Let it go, baby... he's not coming back."

-

He awoke to the sunlight peeking through his blinds, shining irritably onto his eyes. With a deep frown marked upon his face, he threw his covers off and stumbled to the bathroom. After a few minutes in there, he changed and quickly made his way out of his room and into the kitchen for breakfast.

"Morning, Mom," he said as he brushed past her to the refrigerator. After grabbing his bottle of water out, he closed the refrigerator and walked back to his mother, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked while scrubbing a dirty dish. "Don't forget your homework. I found some of your Chemistry laying around in the living room last night. You really need to get organized, honey. If not, one of these days, you're going to leave your brain home as well."

"I do that everyday," he replied jokingly with a grin. Mrs. Fanel looked back at him, frowning. She hated it when he joked about practically _everything_. Sometimes, she wondered whatever happened to her old Van. "Just kidding, Mom. I'll go get my stuff, I'll be right back."

She sighed as she turned back around, resuming to washing the dishes. She often wondered how her son did get to change so much over the years.

"Hey, Mom," he called from the living room. "I'm going to go. I didn't realize how late I was when I woke up. I'll see you later."

"Okay. Bye, sweetheart. Have fun."

"Yeah, sure. Later, Mom!"

-

"Are you new here?" a girl with red hair asked as she approached Hitomi, who looked utterly lost and confused. When Hitomi turned around to look at her, the girl smiled, trying to make a friendly gesture. "I'm Yukari."

Hitomi returned the friendly gesture and smiled. "I'm Hitomi."

"Nice to meet you, Hitomi," Yukari said, and Hitomi nodded, saying the same in return. "Do you need help finding your locker and classes? Because if you do, I'd gladly help you, though it'd have to be later. Class is going to start in a few minutes."

"Thanks, Yukari," Hitomi said, greatly appreciating the girl already. "I have Chemistry right now... room 134. Could you tell me where that is?"

Yukari nodded. "Of course I can. I have that class too."

The expression on Hitomi's face was mellow. Her day was starting off better than she thought. "Really? That's great!"

And with her newfound friend, Hitomi started off to class with her.

-

As Van entered the school building, muttering rubbish about his father, he already knew that his day would go bad. He didn't know how he knew—he just did. Perhaps it was just instinct, or perhaps it was because his father just had the knack to ruin everything for him without needing to be physically there.

Without making his way to his locker, which he didn't have time for anyway, he walked straight to his first class, which unfortunately, was Chemistry. Upon entering, a certain blonde haired girl caught his eye from the back of the room. To the left of her sat Allen, and to the right, a girl named Yukari if he remembered correctly.

He hadn't noticed that he had stood frozen in front of the entrance door, and he hadn't noticed everyone staring at him. His mind went numb, and he tried to convince himself that he was hallucinating.

Unaware of anyone watching her, Hitomi slowly looked up, wondering why the classroom had gotten so silent. When she saw the boy who stared at her, her mouth went dry, but she was still able to manage a smile.

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Van...

He could only stare at her while she greeted him silently. It just couldn't be... could it?

-

Eh... didn't quite like how that turned out... but oh well. I guess it's better than delaying it for another year or two. Chapter three should be out within the next two weeks at the longest.


	3. Friends and Enemies

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Broken

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Chapter Three: Friends and Enemies

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Author's Notes: It's midnight here... and my eyes are getting so droopy. I'm so tired... so I apologize for any errors made. I'm off to bed now...

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"Mr. Fanel?" the teacher questioned as the bell rang, a slight tone of annoyance set tightly deeply within her voice. "Would you mind taking a seat, or would you prefer to just stand there until you figure out what it is about Miss Kanzaki that fascinates you so much?"

At the sight of this, Hitomi's cheeks went fiery, and she quickly looked down at her lap, calmly pretending to brush something off. Van snapped out of his trance then, as if he had suddenly gotten the answer he wanted. And in fact he had.

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Kanzaki... Hitomi... my god, it really is her. She's back... she's back...

He didn't know what to do right then when it sunk into him that the girl whom he had spent his childhood with was finally back here once again, alive and in the flesh. He had missed her for so many years, but though recently, during the last three years, ever since rising up from the basketball team during his sophomore year, she had unconsciously slipped from his mind. She was back now though, finally. She was really back.

"Van," the teacher said as she gave him a push to his seat. "Please, sit down. You may continue to admire Miss Kanzaki after class because right now, I really need to start class."

Stunned and slightly embarrassed, Van could only nod understandingly. "Yes, Mrs. Youko. I'm sorry."

She seemed to ignore his apology this time as she turned to Hitomi. "And class, if Mr. Fanel hasn't made it painfully obvious already, this is Hitomi Kanzaki, our new student here at Escaflowne High. Please make her feel welcome, as Allen and Yukari seem to have already done."

When the whole class nodded, Mrs. Youko resumed to her teaching. And throughout the hour, Van found himself powerlessly looking back at Hitomi repeatedly, making sure that she was still there and that it was actually her, and that he was not imagining her sitting there in his class. Kyoko caught sight of this several times, and didn't seem too happy with him after class.

"You like her, don't you?" she accused the moment they stepped out of the class. "My god, Van! What is it about her that makes you stop dead in your tracks like that? She's only a high school girl just like the rest of us, not like some goddess or something. She isn't even all that pretty! So what's your problem?"

Van only shrugged as he gave her his ear to her constant nagging. "You need to chill, Kyoko," he said lowly as he put away his books into his locker with a calm. "And stop freaking out. Besides, you're not the only pretty girl in this school. Stop being so stuck up."

"I wouldn't be talking, Van," she snapped at him. When Van frowned at her, she turned away, and walked on down to her next class.

As Hitomi watched from the other side of the hall, she couldn't help but question how Van had changed so much. "Allen, you've known me and Van ever since we were little... and since I moved away, when did he start to change so much?"

Allen looked down at her, a feeling of uneasiness beginning to drown him. He honestly didn't want to be the one telling her the bad news. "What do you mean?"

"I mean... Allen, you know what I mean."

"Like... are you asking me how he turned into such a cocky bastard?"

Hitomi gave him a look of disapproval before turning back to stare at her childhood friend. "Hey now, he couldn't have changed that much."

"Oh, you're in for a surprise. I really hate to tell you this, Hitomi, but Van is no longer... well, the Van you knew before. He has a whole new life now. He's the captain and the star of the basketball team... and he's dating the most popular and might I add and correct now, the second prettiest girl in the school."

Finding it quite weird that he would name Kyoko the second prettiest, she couldn't help but ask who was the first. And when he answered the question with a smile, her cheeks turned pink and she looked away from him, ignoring what had just happened. "So... are you saying that his life is going pretty good now?"

"I can't judge, Hitomi," he answered, not wanting to hurt her. "Only he could answer that for you."

"Yeah... but I mean, if he's living the popular life, then everything in his life must be going great, right?" she asked. When Allen only shrugged, she turned back to look at him. "What about you though, Allen? I heard from Yukari that you're also quite the heartthrob. Van's not the only one, I see. Got a girlfriend?" she teased lightly with a smile.

He only laughed at her ridiculous question. "Anyway," he said, successful in changing the subject. "We've only got a minute to get to class, so I'm going to head down this direction. I'll meet you by either your classroom or your locker afterwards, alright?"

Hitomi nodded. "Alright. Thanks, Allen. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, no problem. See ya."

-

"Psst, hey, new girl."

Turning around to see who was bothering her, Hitomi saw a beautiful brunette glaring at her as if she had just done something completely insulting to her. Confused as to why the girl was looking at her that way, Hitomi decided to ignore it and turned back around. It wasn't long though before the girl called to her again.

"Hey, you, Kanzaki girl, look here."

Hitomi turned around again, but this time, no dirty looks were present upon the girl's face. Instead, only a note was passed over to her. Hitomi accepted it willingly and slowly opened it up.

-

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Kanzaki,

Stay away from Van. I don't know what it is about you, but don't be stupid and make the mistake by thinking that he likes you. Because in reality, he doesn't, got that? He's taken, he has a girlfriend, and that's me. He's mine and I'm his'. He loves me. He doesn't need anyone else, so don't get too close to him—not that you would have the chance to anyway. Just keep that in mind.

Kyoko

-

When Hitomi finished, an expression of annoyance was written clearly upon her face. Who was she to tell her to back off of Van? Sure, she was his girlfriend, but that didn't mean that she could control him like that, choosing who he could hang out with or whatnot. Picking up her pencil, Hitomi wrote back.

-

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Kyoko,

You have no idea how close Van and I were. With that statement said however, please don't think of me as a threat, because I don't think that I really am. If I am though, it is really up to Van, although I really don't want to interfere with you guys. I came back here for him, so everything will be up to him, but if he loves you like you claim he does, then I shouldn't be a problem, right?

Hitomi

-

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Kanzaki,

Who ever said that you were a threat to me? You're not, I was only just warning you before. And whatever you and Van had before, and whatever hopes you have of getting with him, trust me, you can just forget about it all. Van has pursued me ever since sixth grade when we first met in middle school. We've been together for nearly two years now. I don't think he'd want anyone else, and much less, you.

-

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Kyoko,

I've only been here for an hour and already you're picking me out. You make it seem like I'm really a threat, and I haven't even done anything yet. I honestly don't understand why you're being the way you are to me. Actually... now that I think about it, I guess this is kind of typical.

-

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Kanzaki,

What would you know about it? You wouldn't, would you?

-

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Kyoko,

I've seen enough to keep me from being pushed around.

-

The bell rang by the time Hitomi finished writing her sentence. Class was finally over. She stood up, grabbed her bag, and then leaned over to give Kyoko the note before exiting the room. Right when she walked out the door, she found Allen standing there, waiting for her patiently. Immediately, a smile brightened up her face.

"How was class?" he asked as they headed down the hall to her locker.

"It was okay, I guess," she answered. "Kyoko wrote a note to me, telling me to stay away from Van. She told me that he loves her and whatever hopes that I have to be with him that I should just forget it and give up. And you know, Allen, honestly, I don't want to intrude on them, but I... he... before I left, we made a promise to each other..."

Allen nodded almost immediately, as if he understood everything completely. "I get it. You guys promised to be with each other, didn't you?"

Hitomi nodded.

"That's the trouble with promises," Allen said softly. "Especially promises that are meant to last forever. Fulfilling and keeping those promises are very rare nowadays, Hitomi. The world is a crazy place." He wasn't telling her that to hurt her, only to alert her of the honest truth.

"I know," she whispered with a bow of her head. "But I mean, it's Van... or at least, it _was_ Van. He was so torn when I left... he had nobody, Allen. All of his life, it was only me that he went to and talked to. That's why I promised him... but he doesn't seem to need me now, does he?"

"Don't you worry about it, I'm sure he'll come to his senses... eventually. Van has gotten pretty pigheaded over the years, even more so than before, but I don't think he ever lost what he felt for you. I mean, it may be buried somewhere... but it's most likely still there. Otherwise, he wouldn't have embarrassed himself in front of the class this morning."

Hitomi stopped at her locker and gave him another smile. He was being so supportive of her, yet at the same time, he was gently telling her the truth, trying to avoid breaking her heart. "Thanks, Allen. Thanks so much." And honestly, she was very thankful to have him with her on her first day of school. It made it so much easier for her, having someone there for her when she got lost. However, he wasn't the person who she thought would be the one to help her around—not at all. But the thing was, he was the one who was doing it. And she was so grateful for it.

-

At last, it was the end of day.

For some reason, Van wasn't feeling too well. As he opened his locker to put books in, Kyoko appeared beside him, wrapping an arm around his neck before leaning up to kiss him on the cheek.

"Hiya handsome."

He gave a low throat growl, but nothing more. When Kyoko sensed that something was wrong, she pulled away from him. "You're not mad at me, are you?" she asked.

"We're fine," he said in a gruff, causing her to frown.

"Then why are you being so mean?"

"I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm NOT."

"Van," she whined, clinging herself to his arm. "Don't be mad. Tell me what's wrong."

He turned to face her. Slowly, and unexpectedly for her, he leaned down to give her a kiss, perhaps to just shut her up or relief some stress. But it all ended too quickly, and when Van pulled away, Kyoko found herself yearning for more.

From her locker, Hitomi turned away at the sight. Seeing them kiss didn't really disgust her, only hurt her. She remained strong, however, when she saw Allen approaching her once more to drive her home.

"Ready to go, Hitomi?"

"Yeah, come on, let's go."

And they left.

Back at Van's locker, the two were still locking lips until one of Van's teammates nudged him.

"Gotta go, Kyoko. I'll call you later tonight, okay?"

She frowned at him when she was forced to let go of him. "Why couldn't you just skip practice for once to be with me?" It was a question she had constantly pestered him with.

"You know I can't skip practice, Kyoko," he said seriously. "It's not like we don't do anything outside of school and my practice. We do plenty of stuff."

Kyoko's frown flipped to become a smile. "Yeah... we do, don't we?"

Van nodded. "Yeah, so I'm gonna go now. Call ya later, bye."

"Bye."

-

"Hey Dil, tell coach that I can't make it to practice today, okay?"

Almost immediately, Dilandau stopped in his steps to turn to look at Van. "What?" he asked, staring at him daftly. "Oh man, did Kyoko finally get to you? Are you seriously going to ditch practice to b—"

"No," Van interrupted immediately. "No, it's not about Kyoko. I just need to clear some things up. I don't think I'll be able to concentrate on anything unless I get it out of my system. So be sure to tell coach, okay?"

Dilandau shrugged and shook his head in disapproval. "Okay... if that's what you want..."

"Thanks, Dil. I'll see ya tomorrow."

And then he was off to visit his childhood companion.

-

Next chapter update should be before or during my spring break... which is in middle April. You can contact me at **imalildorkie@yahoo.com** if you have any questions or AIM me at **sea charm fishy**. All feedback is greatly appreciated.


	4. A Little Visit

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Broken

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Chapter Four: A Little Visit

-

Author's Notes: Well, SPRING BREAK IS HERE! Yay! XD I'm so glad for it... stress-free for a whole week! Well... kind of... still gotta worry about the SATs and ACTs, but you know what, for today and right now, I'm just gonna let it all go. By the way, this chapter isn't all that exciting, but... things will definitely begin to arise soon, so just hold tight. Thanks to all who review! You guys make me so happy. :)

-

"So how was school?"

Hitomi paused at the middle of the stairs as she turned around to find her Aunt Yukiko coming out of the kitchen to greet her. With a bright smile, Hitomi headed back down, sitting at the bottom of the stairs as her aunt sat down next to her, joining her.

"It was pretty good," she answered with a nod.

"So, did you get to see Van? Did you get to talk to him?"

Hitomi tilted her head a little with a very slight frown upon her face. "Kinda. I saw him, but didn't get a chance to really talk to him. Though, I did have the pleasure of meeting his girlfriend."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I don't think she likes me much. She keeps telling me to stay away from Van though, and I didn't even do anything. He had seen me this morning when he was walking into class and he was just struck still, probably just shocked that I was back. Kyoko saw the whole thing... and she wasn't too happy with him after class, but they seemed to have made up after school..."

Yukiko leaned sideways, giving her niece a little bump of faith as she smiled down at her. "It's expected, it's typical," she explained. "Kyoko doesn't know what kind of a relationship you two had back then, but she's not totally clueless. She probably knows that there was something there, she just doesn't know what, and perhaps she's just threatened."

"I know... that's what I thought and said. But I really wonder about Van. He's changed so much since I last saw him. Never in a million years did I think that I would return to him like this. He—"

The phone suddenly rang, interrupting Hitomi in the middle of her sentence. Slowly, with an apologetic look from the older woman's face, she watched as her aunt stood up to answer it.

"We'll talk more in a bit, alright?" she said before placing the receiver to her ear.

Figuring that it was already too late to respond, Hitomi got on her feet and proceeded up the stairs to her room, where she fell back onto her bed with a loud sigh.

Her eyes began to drift closed. It wasn't long after, however, before her silence and peace was ruined by a small knock on the door. Slowly, she peeked one eye open. What—or rather, _who_ she saw made her sit up immediately in her bed. Her vision held a lean, built, well-tanned young man with dark hair.

"Van?"

He gave her a small smile before taking her inquiry as an invitation to walk in. "Hey."

Hitomi, excited to see him and finally able to have a moment with him alone, stood up from her bed and quickly strode over to him, hugging him with all her might. She was absolutely ecstatic. "I missed you, you know," she whispered loudly into his ear as she felt him circle his arms around her waist. "It's so good to see you again."

"I missed you too, Hitomi," he said with a smile into her hair. "I'm glad you're back."

"Me too," she said as they pulled away from each other, although his hands were still circled around her waist and her arms were still around his neck. "I haven't seen or talked to you in forever... it's been ten years, Van, can you believe it?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, seeing you for the first time now, it does seem like it's been forever. But at the same time, doesn't it feel like only yesterday that we parted?"

"You're kind of right," she said with a loose nod. Then slowly, she closed the gap between them again, resting her cheek against his chest. "How has life been treating you, Van?" she asked. "Is it all good and well?"

"It is now," he replied as his arms tightened around her. She smiled. It had been so long since they were like this—together. "Life hasn't been half bad, and it just keeps getting better. I have a feeling nothing can get better than this though."

"Aw," she said with a cute, sarcastic smile. "That's so sweet. You're still the dork I knew ten years ago. I don't know what Allen was saying when he told me that you changed."

The expression upon his face suddenly went stern, for he knew that deep within inside himself that he had changed. And he also knew, in a way, that it was not for the better. "Well... people do change, Hitomi," he said softly. "You can't escape it."

She nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. "Yeah, I know, but you're still the same to me. Or at least, you seem the same to me."

"You've changed," he said as he looked up and down at her. She laughed. "What? You have."

"I know, but physical change doesn't count because everyone goes through the same thing. But, I'm not complaining about your change." She grinned.

"Me either," he said cockily. Leaning in closer to her, he touched noses with her, and smiled. "I'm not complaining about you either though. You're absolutely adorable."

"Thanks," she said with a faded smile.

"What's wrong?" He pulled back away from her, giving her a worried look. Hitomi only shrugged under his gaze, and fell back onto her bed again. "Hitomi, what's up? Did I say something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No..." she said as she stared up at the ceiling. Van fell back onto her bed too, and he turned his face to look at her.

"You sure?"

She sighed. "Well," she started as she turned back to look at him. "I'm just wondering, what's happened in your life since I left, Van? I mean, you're not really the same shy little boy I remember leaving behind. You're much different now... and I just wanna know what you went through, you know."

He nodded. "Yeah, I understand. I'll tell you, but only under one condition."

She frowned at him. "What's that?"

"You have to tell me about your life too."

"Okay," she said with a nod. "That's fair, but you go first."

"Oh, okay... let's see... where do I start?" he asked, more to himself than Hitomi. She answered him anyway.

"Middle school. How'd you meet Kyoko?"

Van was a bit taken back, not really expecting Hitomi to know about her just yet. "Kyoko?"

"Yeah."

Feeling uncomfortable looking at her, and having her stare back at him with curious eyes, Van turned his head to face the ceiling. "Well... when I met her, believe it or not, she was actually just like me. If you've seen or met her, she's not like that now. She was really shy and quiet... and for a while, she reminded me so much of you, Hitomi. It didn't take a long time before she became my best friend... and eventually, I fell for her."

"Wow. Kyoko... shy and quiet... just like you..." she said in disbelief. "Are you sure that's your girlfriend?" she tried to joke.

Van nodded. "Yeah, that's her alright. But then, you know, high school happened... I tried out for basketball, she tried out for cheer... and before we knew it... things began change."

"It's crazy how things can change so much in such little time sometimes," she said. "But wow, Van... that's great though. See, I always knew you'd be a basketball star, but you never believed me. Who's right now, huh?" she teased as she nudged him.

He laughed and nudged her back lightly. "Well, what about you? Any special guys?"

"Only two," she said insignificantly. "They both turned out to be jerks anyway."

"Really? How?"

"Well, the first one, Brian, started off as a really good friend. Of course, that's always the first step, isn't it? We had been friends for about three years before we began to date. Then I found out that he had cheated on me. As for the second guy, it was pretty much the same story."

"Ah. Those jerks. If I could get my hands on them, I'd b—"

Hitomi let out a small laugh, shaking her head. "Yeah, right. Van, don't even start on that. You always have to be my protector, don't you? Ever since we were little kids... especially when Dilly picked on me."

"Well, I couldn't let anything happen to my ducky, right?" he laughed.

Hitomi smiled as the old memories of his nickname for her came flooding back through her mind.

"Speaking of which, do you still have that dirty old thing?" he asked, referring to her old stuffed animal duck—the one in which she took almost everywhere with her. "Man... that thing was _filthy_."

She glared at him playfully. "Hey, you be quiet. You were the one who gave it to me!"

"Yeah, but I didn't think that you would bring it EVERYWHERE with you. If I had known, I would've given you something else."

"Well, I brought it everywhere with me because the duck was from you, you big jerk."

"Oh," was his reply. For a moment, silence was held tight within the room, but it was broken as soon as Van started to laugh.

Hitomi gave him a weird look. "What's so funny?" she asked as she sat up.

"I can't believe you brought that thing everywhere because of me. If you had told me that earlier, I would've gotten you a dozen of them." He continued to laugh, earning a soft punch from her.

"That's not funny," she said jokingly as a smile broke out over her lips. "I actually still have the duck."

"You do?" Van asked as he sat up too, laughter shaking him from head to toe. "Oh my god! Hahahahaha! I can't believe you still have that after all these years! It is black now?"

"No!" she yelled.

"Let me see!"

"No!"

"Aw, come on."

She folded her arms over her chest, looking away at him stubbornly. "No, I refuse. You're only going to laugh more, and I don't want to clean my bed sheets."

"Huh?" He stared at her. For a moment, he had not gotten what she had just said. "Are you implying that I might went my pants? God, Hitomi, it must really be black then."

"It's not!"

"Then show me!"

"No!"

"Gyah," he said exasperatedly. "You are unbelievable."

"Thanks," she said proudly with a smile.

Silence took over the room again, for the lack of converse they had with each other. Neither of them knew what to say next, until:

"Hey, are you going to try out for any sports?"

Hitomi looked over at him and nodded. "Yeah... I was thinking about doing track again, but I've been doing that forever... and I'm kinda getting tired of it."

"Track? Track seems so... boring though."

She shrugged. "It does get kinda boring, which is why I'm thinking about doing tennis instead." She took out her racket from beneath her bed, and swung it at him playfully. "Whoosh. Sounds great, doesn't it?"

Van grinned amusingly. "Tennis sounds good to me. You should go for it."

"I am," she said with a positive nod. "I just hope that I won't suck too horribly though."

"Well, someone has to be it."

"Gee, thanks for making me feel so much better about it, Van."

"Aw, don't worry about it, ducky," he said with comfort. "I'm sure—actually, I'm _positive_ that you'll do fine... because, well, you're just not the kind of person to suck."

"Uh huh," she said, not feeling much better about it. "Thanks for trying, Van, but you know what, no one's perfect."

He nodded. "Well, ducky, I've gotta go. I think I might just have some time left for basketball practice, so I'll see ya tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, see you, Van."

"Later, Hitomi. Call me if you get bored. We're gonna have to plan a lot of stuff and catch up on old times."

With a wide, bright smile, Hitomi hugged him once more before watching him walk out of her door. "I'll definitely do that. Bye, Vanny!"

Before she was able to completely shut her door, she heard a faint "Don't call me that!" coming from the bottom of the stairs.

Ah, the good old times.

And she smiled.

-

Next update may be either sometime this week or within the next three weeks.


	5. Clashing Girls

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Broken

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Chapter Five: Clashing Girls

-

****

Author's Notes: Well, I did manage to update twice in a week—yay! Lol, I actually had to sit myself down today for exactly an hour and forced myself to write this, because I know that if I didn't, I probably wouldn't get around to update for a while. I'm just lazy that way...

And because I'm gotten myself sucked into the world of **Harry Potter** again... I'm currently planning and fixing up a few ideas for a **Draco/Hermione** fiction because I absolutely adore them... don't freak out on me for those of you who don't like that coupling. ^^;; I just love them together.

I think that's enough babbling for now... **reviewer responses** are at the bottom for those of you who reviewed last chapter. Thanks once again! :) And I hope you enjoy this chapter!

-

She awoke refreshed and content the follow morning, even though the rays of the sun shone annoyingly upon her face. She smiled as she got out of bed and proceeded down the stairs, where she greeted her aunt warmly and sat down for breakfast.

"Sleep well?" Yukiko asked as she joined her niece around the table. "School doesn't start for another hour. Why are you awake so early?"

Hitomi shrugged her shoulders happily with a bright smile on her face. "I don't know, but it's very pretty today." She looked out the window, seeing a clear blue sky. Yukiko took note of this and grinned.

"I take it things went well with Van's little surprise visit yesterday?"

Looking back, Hitomi felt her cheeks go red as she stared at her aunt. "Well... it didn't go bad," she answered shyly. "It was actually kind of fun."

"Of course it was, Hitomi. What did you expect? That it would turn out bad?" Yukiko asked, making a fine point.

"Yeah... I guess you're right." She began to mess around with her food slowly, poking at her eggs with her fork. "It was really nice though. When we talked... it was like nothing had ever changed between us. He even brought up the subject of my old ducky that he gave me."

"What old ducky?" her aunt questioned. "Oh, wait, you mean that gray-looking thing... duck which I mistook for a—"

"Yes, yes," Hitomi interrupted immediately, slightly embarrassed. "That's the one." Her head hung low as she took a bite of her breakfast. "It's not that dirty-looking, is it?" she asked.

Yukiko didn't know how to answer the question. "Uh... do you wash it?"

"Yeah..." Hitomi answered, looking at her aunt as if she thought it would be obvious. "Oh my god. It doesn't look _that_ bad! It's only a tad... dusty."

"Well... I wouldn't say a tad... and I wouldn't say dusty either..."

Hitomi sighed. "Okay, okay, I get the point. It looks... not good, I get it."

She was finally done with breakfast, and she stood up, placing her plate in the sink. "Well, I'm gonna go head on to brush my teeth and get dressed." She gave her aunt a happy smile before heading back up the stairs.

-

"Hey Hitomi," Yukari greeted as she approached the blonde-haired girl. "What's up?"

"Not much," she answered, shoving in her unnecessary books into her locker with great difficulty. "Good god, these lockers really need to be bigger. It's just waaay to small."

Yukari shook her head. "You just have too many books. You're such an over-achiever, Hitomi. Practically everything you're taking is either AP or honors. You do realize though that you're gonna get more books, right? And oh my god, look at all these journals!" She pointed to the stack of different colored journals in horror. "There's like... SIX of them!"

Thinking that Yukari was being a little bit too dramatic, Hitomi raised her eyebrows and laughed a little to herself. "Jeez, calm down there... there's no need to freak out."

"But _look_ at all this. _Look_ at your locker. Have you _seen_ your overstuffed locker? Holy crap. You're absolutely crazy."

"Thanks," Hitomi said with a smile. "Now, come on, let's head to class." She shut her locker and started to walk off.

"But what about Allen?"

Hitomi stopped short in her steps before turning around. "Oh yeah... how could I forget about Allen?" she said as she frowned at herself. "Do you think maybe he's in class already?"

Yukari shook her head. "I highly doubt it. Don't worry... he should be here soon."

"Okay."

-

"So where were you yesterday after school?" Kyoko asked sweetly, trying desperately to hide her annoyance. Repeatedly every time she had asked him to skip practice just for once to spend some time with her, he would always tell her that his practices were mandatory. She believed him, and would leave him alone about it for a while. But to find out that he skipped yesterday after telling her that he really had to go made her mad.

"What?" Van said as he turned to look at her sharply. "Who told you that?" He could see that her anger was slowly surfacing.

"Dilandau, Van, Dilandau. He asked me if we had a fight or something because he had thought that you skipped practice yesterday to come make up with me."

Van, thinking of this as no big deal, only shrugged and looked away as he continued to pretend to take books in and out of his locker.

Her eyes flashed in a huff and she took a hold of his arm. "Van, look at me. I'm talking to you here."

"Yes," he said through gritted teeth. "I can hear you quite clearly. I just don't understand why you're mad though."

"WHY I'M MAD?" she shrieked loudly. "Van, you lied to me! And what I want to know is why. What were you doing after school?"

"Why does it matter!? My god, Kyoko, stop being so damn obsessive. It's not like I was fooling around with anyone. You are getting really annoying, you know."

"Only because you said you really had to practice after I told you that I wanted to do something with you. What was so important that made you skip practice?"

Van sneered, glaring at her in annoyance. "It's just a damn practice! Why is it such a big deal to you?!"

"You were with her, weren't you?" she bit out, hurtful. "She's only been here for one day, and already, you're infatuated with her..." Tears sprang out from within her eyes, though it was more of anger and frustration than it was of hurt.

Seeing this, guilt piled deep within him. "Kyoko," he sighed as he took her in his arms. "Don't you worry about her, okay? There's nothing between us; we're only friends. Take a good look at the whole situation, who am I with now? I'm with you. You, okay? It's you, you're my girlfriend, so stop being like this."

She sniffed against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I know, Van, I know..." She looked up at him with tear-stained eyes. "I'm sorry, but it just hurts, Van. We barely get to hang out anymore... with all your practices, games, and everything else. I just want to spend some time with you, but you're always busy."

"Okay," he soothed, placing a kiss on top of her hair. "How about this? I'll ask coach if I can skip Friday afternoon. If he says yes, I'm all yours then."

She smiled up at him. "Okay," she said softly. "That sounds good."

The bell rang then, and they both headed off to class, hand in hand.

-

As the pair entered the classroom, all eyes instantly laid upon Kyoko, specifically on her puffed up and red eyes. She must've been crying, they figured. Some of the girls came up to her to ask what was wrong, but when Kyoko told them that she was alright, they smiled and returned to their seats. Mrs. Youko entered the room then.

"Good morning, class," she said as she walked in.

Fortunately, Hitomi hadn't caught the whole deal, as she was quite busy catching up on some homework. After all, she _had_ gotten a little distracted yesterday after Van's visit and couldn't seem to get her mind off of it after that.

"Psst, Hitomi," Allen whispered quietly from her right. "Is that Calculus homework?"

She nodded without glancing at him. "Yeah... I got a bit distracted with everything yesterday that I didn't have time to do the work, so I'm catching up on it right now."

"Do you want my homework?" he asked. "I finished it."

Hitomi looked at him, giving him a grateful smile. "Thanks, Allen, really, but I think I'll manage. I don't have Calculus until fourth period anyway."

Shrugging, Allen sat back up straight in his chair, adverting his attention back to Mrs. Youko. Hitomi was finally left alone once again in peace to do her homework. Unfortunately, it was now Yukari's turn to bother her.

Hitomi sighed and turned to face Yukari, ready to answer her question just as Mrs. Youko's voice painfully caught their attention. By the tone and sound of her voice, they knew she was annoyed.

And they remained quiet for the rest of the period.

-

"Hey, Kanzaki, if you think you've got Van in your clutches, think again, okay?" Kyoko sneered at Hitomi as she passed her. Proudly with a jerk of her body, she took her seat before continuing to scorn at Hitomi. "Van's with me, you got that?"

Hitomi looked on at her with annoyance. "I know that, Kyoko. If you haven't noticed, I'm not blind. I know that he's with you, and I'm not even doing anything... so why are you mad?"

"Don't try to act innocent," Kyoko spat as her eyes narrowed slightly.

Hitomi twisted in her seat uncomfortably before glaring at the girl. She was being such a pain in the ass. "Listen, I'm not doing _anything_ with your boyfriend, or at least, nothing that you would approve of. He's not cheating on you, so just get that through your head and settle down, alright? You should be happy for at least that much..." Hitomi trailed off and mumbled, "Because you don't deserve that much..."

"What was that?" the brunette snarled.

Hitomi, usually the patient and understanding girl, found herself losing her temper everything time Kyoko approached her. Of course, any calm girl would. No girl would want to deal with another like Kyoko. It was just too stressful.

"Oh, nothing," Hitomi said sweetly. "I was just talking to myself, is all."

"Talking to yourself?" Kyoko laughed bitterly.

"Rather myself than you," she replied coldly before turning back in her seat.

By now, only on her second day of school, the people around Hitomi knew one thing about her: every time she and Kyoko met, both worlds would go and clash against one another, despite their usual composed manners. And they would make an important mental note to stay out of it at all costs.

-

"Guys, I really can't stand her," Hitomi complained as they walked down to the lunchroom. "I mean, I haven't even done anything, and already, she's accusing me and giving me dirty looks _every_ single time she sees me. I mean, giving me dirty looks, I can stand, but _accusing_ me every day just pisses me off."

Allen patted her shoulder for comfort. "Don't let her get to you, Hitomi. That's just what she wants. Don't let it get the better of you."

"Yeah," Yukari said with a nod, agreeing. "It's not worth it, is it?"

Hitomi shrugged a little. "I don't know... it's only been my second day, and already, I don't think I can stand it. If it's gonna be like this every single day, I'm going to snap."

"Oh no, don't snap," Yukari said quickly with a shake of her head. "Snapping is not good, especially at a girl such as Kyoko. She'll get the whole senior grade to turn against you."

"She pretty much already has," Hitomi mumbled.

"Well, what about Van?" Allen asked. "Does he know about this?"

Hitomi shook her head.

"Wait," Yukari interrupted. "What about Van? How did he suddenly get into this conversation?" She was utterly confused.

"Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you. Van and I were best friends back in the day before I had to move away." She gave out a small smile. "I promised that I'd come back, and when I did, I promised that I'd be with him because you know, back then... Van wasn't much of talker, more of a loner, actually."

"Awww... that's so sweet!" Yukari squealed. "But what about him? Did he...?"

"Promise the same thing back to me?" Hitomi finished for her before nodding bitterly. "Yeah, he did. I've come back to see him because I've missed him, you know... but I don't think..." she began to trail off, having no desire whatsoever to complete her sentence.

Yukari leaned over and wrapped an arm around her friend's waist. "Don't worry, Hitomi! Promises are not meant to be broken."

"I used to think that..."

"Don't give up yet. It's only been two days."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Yukari..."

"Of course I am. Come on now, I'm hungry. Let's eat."

-

"Did you hear—that new girl—what's her name? Oh yeah, Hitomi Kanzaki or whatever. Did you know that she really thinks that she can steal Van away from Kyoko!?"

"What a bitch."

"Can you believe she's even insulted Kyoko just because she's with Van?"

"What? Really? Wow. She really is a bitch then."

As he walked down the hall, all he heard was rubbish about Hitomi, and he frowned. High school, he thought with a shake of his head, was only interesting because of all the gullible people and the gossip they spread around just for the hell of it to make school itself more interesting. It was their way of bonding with others, and possibly their only way.

He knew that what they were saying about Hitomi weren't true. He knew Hitomi better than that, and he knew that she was better than that. She would never stoop so low. Without a doubt, it was all of Kyoko's doing, all of her senseless rumors.

"Kyoko," he said somewhat angrily as he approached her at his locker, where she stood waiting for him. "Why are you picking on Hitomi?"

Her eyes went instantly cold. "Why are you defending her?"

"Because she's my friend."

"Yeah, and so? I'm your girlfriend."

Van rolled his eyes. "I don't like fighting with you, Kyoko, but you have to stop all this fiasco. Why can't you just let it go and accept the fact that Hitomi and I are only friends?"

"I'm not dumb, Van. I know there's something between you guys."

"Yeah, duh, like I told you before, _friendship_. Do you need me to spell it out?"

"You lie."

He sighed. "_Alright_, listen to me. Listen good. If you don't stop all these nasty rumors, my Friday afternoon will be occupied with basketball. So get over it and just stop picking on Hitomi. She's done nothing to you."

Kyoko let out a loud, irritable sigh. "Okay, so if I stop the rumors, you'll spend Friday afternoon with me... and there will be nothing between you and her."

"Besides friendship, then yes."

She frowned. "Van—"

"Kyoko."

She fumed. "Fine," she said before giving him a reluctant kiss on the lips. She adjusted the bag on her shoulders before turning away. "Call me later, okay? Bye."

"Later," he said to her with a quick wave of his hand.

When Van turned around after shaking his head, irritated by the frequent fights him and Kyoko were having ever since Hitomi came back, he saw her at her locker, calmly putting away her books. The look on her face gave him the impression that she was stressed. He decided to go talk to her, to try to cheer her up like she did him many, many years before.

"Hey Hitomi," he greeted with a sincere smile. "How was your day?"

Pleasantly surprised, Hitomi closed her locker and swung her bag over her shoulder, smiling tenderly at him. "It was alright," she said, shrugging, though the smile was still there upon her face. "Yours?"

"Eh, it was okay."

"That's good, I guess..." she began to trail off. "It's better than having a bad day..." She wanted to smack herself for that; that last sentence that came out of her mouth wasn't necessary.

He laughed. "Yeah... but hey, you want to do anything this Saturday? Like go watch a movie or something? We still have a lot to talk about, you know. _A lot_ of catching up to do."

At the sight of this—at the sight of him asking her to go see the movies made her absolutely delighted, and immediately, she nodded. "Yeah... yeah! That'd be great."

He nodded too. "Yeah... okay." He seemed to be fairly delighted as well. "We can talk about this later. I have basketball practice now. I guess I'll see you later then?" he asked eagerly.

"Yeah."

He leaned in to give her a quick, loose hug before heading off to the gym.

Allen appeared right then with a grin upon his face. "Looks like things are looking up, huh?"

She smiled brightly. "Yeah..." She looked around. Yukari was nowhere in sight. "Um, where's Yukari? I thought..."

"Amano came to pick her up already."

Hitomi looked at him, a bit confused. "Wait... as in her college _boyfriend_ Amano?"

He chuckled. "Yeah... yeah, that would sound about right. Come on though, ready to head home?"

"Yup," she said, and off she went with him, her day suddenly turning out better than she had expected.

From the other corner of the hall, a pair of angry eyes laid upon her, finding the new girl to be nothing but a nuisance in ruining her life.

-

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shawni, thank you for all your wonderful comments! You've been following **Broken** for a long way now... thank you so much! :)

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CinderellaxVan, thank you for all your comments as well! I'm very touched that you've reviewed my story and liked it. You have awesome stories as well—I still remember reading most of them a while back. :)

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dreamingofflyingaway, I always look forward to your reviews. I especially enjoy yours because they're always so nice and lengthy. :) Thanks for taking your time to do so. ^__^

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hitomi21, thanks. And I guess we'll have to see about Van, won't we? xD

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Rhapsody's Song, thank you! =)

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sweetlife, thank you too!

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Fluffy'sbabe, aw... thanks. I think either way, you'll love Escaflowne. It's obviously a great anime, though my friend really hates me for this; I actually liked the movie better. ^^;;

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Jhoeydagger, thanks, lol. Everyone's wondering what the duck looks like... you'll see. xD

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SabineballZ, thanks for your review! :) And I'm trying to update as soon as I can. ^^;;

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Onigiri Momoko, hehehe... we'll see about Van... we'll see. Thanks for your comment. =)

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The lady winged Knight, yeah... good old times. ^_^ Thank you!

Once again, THANK YOU to ALL who reviewed! If you have any questions or comments, or ANYTHING, feel free to add it in your review. I'll be sure to answer it... maybe it'll even get me talking when I write out my thanks to everyone. ^_^ Again, thanks for taking the time to read and review. You all are so great! :)

Next planned update: May 1.

It's only planned... so it's not for sure. I'll try to make my chapters longer though. And remember, if you feel up to it, you can AIM me at **sea charm fishy**. I'd really love to talk to you guys. ^_^

Oh, and if there are a lot of mistakes, I apologize. I write and read it over myself... I don't have a beta-reader, so that would probably explain why. I hope it's not too bad though.


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